Eye-to-Eye
by UmLikeYeah
Summary: In his opinion, she was too serious for her own good. In hers, he slid by on his good looks and charm. She was looking towards the future and he was looking for the next adventure. Clearly, they didn't see eye-to-eye, but nonetheless, an inexplicable and inescapable connection cuts across Will's and Alicia's differences. A Georgetown chronicle.
1. Chapter 1

**Eye-to-Eye**

The Good Wife: A Georgetown Chronicle

_In his opinion, she was too serious for her own good. In hers, he slid by on his good looks and charm. She was looking towards the future and he was looking for the next adventure. Clearly, they didn't see eye-to-eye, but nonetheless, an inexplicable and inescapable connection cuts across Will's and Alicia's differences._

* * *

-1-

It was their Friday night ritual - a way to release the build up of tension from a long week of study. Of course, Emma would invariably find an agreeable male companion to keep her company after the bar closed, but not Alicia. She didn't believe in one night stands. In fact, she didn't engage in many vices. Emma once said the only thing that prevented her from being referred to as "Saint Alicia" was her indulgence in occasionally getting shit-faced, down-on-the-ground drunk.

They were celebrating for a variety of reasons - they were one week closer to the semester's end, and, it was a classmate's birthday. That's why they were at Widow's Peak instead of their usual haunts. If she'd had a choice, Alicia would have preferred Cava; it was relaxed and the people were down-to-earth. At Widow's Peak, the regulars seemed loud and brash; and, worst of all, there was a karaoke stage. Just looking at it made her grimace.

It was almost midnight but the crowd was only getting larger. Alicia was feeling good - buzzed but not messily so. "I'm just saying that Wexler seems more intent to indulge the blowhards that cater to his vanities rather than to the merits of the actual argument."

"Uh huh."

Alicia waved a hand in front of her friend's face. Emma was facing the stage, fiddling with the contents of her drink. "You're not the slightest bit interested in what I'm talking about, are you?"

"Not interested in hearing you wax on about idealism over reality? But you do it so infrequently."

"Ha ha. Ok, I get the message." She took a sip of her beer. "Who have you got your sights set on tonight?"

Emma grinned wickedly. "What makes you think I've set my sights on anybody?"

"Because you're doing that thing again with your mouth and the cherry." She laughed as Emma abruptly dropped the cherry back into her cocktail. "I can read you like a book."

Her friend pouted and then leaned conspiratorially. "That guy. Over there. By the stage."

Alicia scanned the stage area. Internally, she did a double take. It had to have been the man standing casually near the speakers - tall, dark-haired and so good looking that it made Alicia's cheeks turn red. "Oh. Wow."

"Delicious, right?"

She nodded, dumbly. Though they stood well over ten feet away, he must have sensed their admiring eyes because he stopped whatever he was saying to his friend and turned to stare back at them. Alicia quickly turned around to face the bar again. Her heart thudded. What was she, thirteen years old again? She should turn back, let him know he hadn't flustered her. "Bartender!" Maybe after a refill of her beer.

Alicia eyed Emma, who was still facing the stranger's way and was probably locked into his gaze. Envy flashed through her - Emma had no concerns about appearing too brazen. She did what she wanted and she didn't care what anyone else might think about that. Emma was going to do well as a trial lawyer. "Ok, wish me luck."

"You won't need it!" She turned just enough to watch Emma sashay away. She faced the bar again.

"Ally Cavanaugh, come to serenade us with a ballad or two?"

Her good luck, she thought, as the bartender refilled her glass. She fought to restrain the eye roll. Speaking of blowhards, the biggest one of them all had to have taken a seat beside her. She poured a generous mouthful and took her time to respond. "You know I don't like being called Ally."

He laughed like she had just said the most clever thing in the world. Was she supposed to be flattered that he was paying attention to her? Her mind fluttered to the man by the stage - he was probably engaging in witty banter with Emma right this moment, while she was probably going to rehash some classroom debate from earlier in the week. "Why not? Alicia's so… formal." He leaned in closer. "Ally is much more free-spirited. Don't you want to be free-spirited?"

"I don't." She hated how wooden and proper she sounded.

He gave a drawn out sigh. "Fine. Alicia. Happy now?" The way he emphasized the "li" in her name made it sound more like "Aliiiiiicia."

She finally turned to look him in the eye. "No. And by the way, the only reason Wexler even ruled in your favor is because you practically memorized his book. You and I both know your argument was much less sound than mine."

"And yet, I got the win and not you. Do you want to know why, Aliiicia?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what, Aliiicia?"

"Stop saying my name like that!"

"I can't call you Ally and now I can't call you by your full name. You're a very tricky girl, you know that?"

She drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes and when she opened them again, his smirking face was still there. _Lord help me because I'm about to start a bar brawl. _"I'm going over there" - she pointed towards the vicinity of the stage - "You can stay here and call me whatever you like."

He called out as she began to walk away, "Wexler ruled in my favor because I knew how to get Wexler's attention."

"You think that you're going to be able to do that in court? Distract the judge and jury from the truth?"

"Alicia, a word of advice." He actually looked serious. "Sometimes the truth won't matter. Sometimes it's all about how you play the game."

"It's people like you that give lawyers a bad reputation." She felt sorry for him and his cynical way of thinking. Maybe that was the way it ran in some circles but she wasn't going to engage in those murky waters. She was going to make a difference, she was going to be an example to follow. She'd known this about herself since she was a young girl playing Supreme Court Justice. The Will Gardners in life were just going to have to adjust to that.

* * *

He had pushed her too far, Will realized. Idealists like her were so easy to rile up. He leaned back, watched the way she moved stiffly through the crowd. Some women were naturally the center of attention. Women like that - like her friend Emma - could part a crowd without ever having to do anything but stand up. Alicia Cavanaugh was not that kind of woman. Instead, she faded into the background. People tended to discount her because she was the quiet type. Will himself hadn't even realized they shared a class their first year in law school until the semester was half over.

He didn't know why he had started the conversation with her. Maybe it had to do with the way she glared at him throughout Wexler's class - he could tell she was getting progressively more frustrated with the results of their debate. Will considered himself a fairly easygoing person - he was well-liked on campus by most of the other students and by the faculty. He didn't ruffle feathers, unless he had to. He made an exception when it came to Alicia - he purposefully took every opportunity to ruffle Alicia's feathers. And he enjoyed every minute of it. The first time she'd opened her mouth, he had her pegged as his grandmother would call it, "uppity". It didn't matter if she spoke the truth straight from God's mouth. She needed to dial it down a few notches. Will wasn't sure when he had decided he was the person for that particular job.

He shook his head and shifted his attention to a beautiful woman sitting several feet away. She was wearing an eye-catching top that looked like a disco ball. It accentuated her curves in a becoming fashion. After a few minutes, she gave him a smile. He saw his chance to strike. He unfolded his tall, lanky frame from the bar stool and walked over to her. It was Friday night and the weekend stretched out in front of him. He was going to enjoy every second of it. Alicia Cavanaugh receded into the back of his mind, like she did with almost everyone else.

* * *

Emma had disappeared. So had the man from the stage. Alicia stood awkwardly amongst a crowd of people. She saw familiar faces nearby but had no desire to socialize. She needed a breather. The back door was propped open and the alley way it led into looked empty. She quickly ducked out and sucked in the cold, fresh air.

"You, too, huh?"

"Who's there?" The voice came from the darker shadows of the alley. She fumbled for the keys in her person, gripping it in between her fingers, ready to use them as weapons.

It was him. The man from the stage. He was alone and held his hands up as if he were surrendering. He looked vaguely amused at her defensive stance. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm just out here for a smoke." He cocked his head towards the cigarette in one upraised hand.

Alicia relaxed and let out an embarrassed laugh. "I'm sorry, too. I'm being overly cautious."

To her amazement, he leaned against a spot on the wall that was next to her. "No, you're right to be cautious. You never know, right?"

He had blue eyes. The kind of blue that reminded her of warm and carefree days spent canoeing on Lake Michigan. "Are you saying I should be wary of you?"

"Well, no. I'm pretty harmless."

"I'm sure all the serial killers say that too."

His laughter was infectious. "I see I've dug myself into a hole. Let's start over."

"Yes, let's. I'm Alicia." She stuck out her hand.

He took it. His palm was smooth but had a few calloused edges. "It's very nice to meet you, Alicia. I'm Peter Florrick."

* * *

It was dawn when Will left Disco Ball's apartment. The sun had just risen and the streets were quiet. He walked over to the diner near campus. The waitress gave him a wave of her hand - he was a regular there; he could never fully concentrate on his studies at his place but here he could. He spent many late nights/early mornings drinking up their coffee.

The door bell jangled as the hot plate of perfectly runny eggs was set in front of him. He saw Alicia seat herself in a corner booth by the window. How did she manage to look so fresh so early in the morning? With her rosy cheeks and dark hair, she looked like a live-action version of Snow White. He groaned as she pulled out several textbooks from a giant purse. Of course. Typical Alicia.

He should finish eating, go home, fall asleep for a few more hours and then meet up for his weekly basketball game. He peeked at Alicia again. Her brow was already furrowed in deep concentration as she tried to read a passage in her book while pour sugar into her own cup of coffee. She let out a little yelp as the sugar cascaded into her lap. Will grinned. He was going to have fun ruining her Saturday morning study jam. "Aliiiiicia, good morning!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Writing this story is pure fun. I hope you're enjoying it too!**

-2-

"Objection, Professor!"

Will threw his hands up in the air. "Objection? We're not even in court!"

Alicia ignored him. "I'm objecting to the fact that, yet again, underhanded measures are being used."

"Underhanded? I think it's important to point out that the murder victim had a history of infidelity. That means the defendant had a pretty strong motive to murder him." He turned to his classmates. "Who disagrees?"

That got Alicia up out of her chair. "That 'history' is circumstantial and hearsay, at best! Will here thinks he can sway weak minds by splashing a rumored sex scandal into the case analysis."

Their professor eyed the two of them with wary amusement. "So either I'm too stupid to catch on to Mr. Gardner's razzle-dazzle, or, I'm too weak-minded, according to Ms. Cavanaugh, if I find any credibility swimming in the infidelity angle?" That earned a titter of laughter to ripple throughout the lecture hall.

Alicia bit her lip and sat down as Will said, hastily, "Professor Radha, I can't speak for Ms. Cavanaugh but I certainly don't think of you as stupid. Clearly anyone who has read the court transcripts for Kovalev v. H.E.J or U.S. v. Jot, Inc..."

"Yes, yes, we all know you've thoroughly researched my background - let's not rehash that all over again." Professor Radha said drily, waving him silent. "While I'm pleased at how spirited the two of you are approaching opposing viewpoints of this case, I would like to give your fellow classmates the opportunity to weigh in as well. So, I ask the two of you to apply just as much energy in listening as you have done in talking."

Will gave his best boyish grin as he settled into his seat. Across from him, Alicia nodded tersely. She must have been a debutante - her back was ramrod straight. For the rest of class, Will kept his eyes purposefully on her. Whenever she looked at him, he slouched further into his seat and raised an eyebrow. He liked seeing the muscles in her jaw tighten, seeing her angle her face away so he could study her sharp profile. She was the kind of woman who tried to pretend her looks didn't - or shouldn't -matter. He had yet to see her wear anything besides jeans and a sweater buttoned up to her collar bone. She didn't put on any make up and her hair was always pulled back from her face, as if the long dark locks would somehow hold her back on her journey for justice. He would swear she didn't have a carefree bone in her body but he'd witnessed her laughing with her friends outside of class. He wasn't quite sure why she found him disagreeable. Maybe she thought he was trying to get in her pants. Which was laughable. He leered at her and knew she saw it with her peripheral vision. Her back became impossibly straighter.

Towards the end of the class, the professor began outlining the final project of the semester. "Remember that this will count significantly towards your final grade for the course. You will need to devote most of your foreseeable free time preparing your argument. Do not, for a moment, think that I will be more lenient because you are first years. I have very high expectations." She smiled faintly at the chorus of groans. "One thing more. As lawyers, we don't often have the freedom to choose our team. Therefore, you'll have to learn how to play nice with others who may have very different ideologies." As if to solidify the dread knotting in the pit of Alicia's stomach, Radha glanced at her. "Mr. Gardner and Ms. Cavanaugh, I'm interested to see how your individual strengths might fare on the same side, for once."

If there was anything gratifying in being assigned to work together, it was seeing Will without a witty rejoinder. It, nonetheless, irked Alicia that he had an expression like he had been sentenced to the gulags. She approached him when class was over and waited until he reluctantly looked at her. "I'd like to get started this week. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. Can you meet tonight?"

He twisted his lips. "Tonight's no good." He pointed at the gym bag lying near his feet. "I've got a game."

She ground her teeth and followed him out into the hallway. "Well, then, when are you free?"

"Uh... I don't know. It's a busy week. How about we play it by ear?"

Will turned at her lack of a response; she was standing with her hands on her hips. "I would hate to think you're not taking this final project seriously. It's important."

"Ally, Ally, Ally..." He shook his head and gave a humorless laugh. "It's so easy for you to assume I'm slacking off, isn't it?"

She folded her arms across her chest, unwilling to back down. "You're prioritizing a basketball game over our final project."

He mirrored her stance. "Not that I need to explain myself but exercise helps me figure things out. I've got a paper due in Ethical Law - according to you, I'm clueless in that subject so I better get cracking on that." He took a few steps closer. "Do you have any other questions? Or should I photocopy my calendar?"

He had a point. She didn't think she would have been nearly as presumptuous or bossy if she had teamed up with anyone else. Alicia didn't know quite how to react whenever Will shed his lackadaisical persona - when he was serious, as he was at that moment, standing over her, she could feel the adrenaline rising. It made her feel like she had done something she shouldn't have - poked a hibernating bear in the dead of winter who happened to wake up. Her father used to say she was too stubborn for her own good - and his words scrawled across mind at that particular moment. She stiffened her posture. She would rather be mauled alive by a bear than let Will Gardner know she was feeling a little bit sorry about the way she was behaving. "Well, I will be in the library every night tonight. If you can spare some of your precious time, find me there. And don't call me Ally", she said before quickly walking away in the opposite direction.

* * *

Owen was already back at the apartment and uncorking a bottle of wine. "Are you telepathic?", Alicia said as she dropped her bag on the nearest available surface. She reached for the full glass on the coffee table.

He rolled his neck from one side to the other. "You too, huh?"

She took a big sip and passed the glass to Owen, who did the same. "It's days like these that I almost miss living back at home, with Mom."

He made a face. "Almost being the watchword here. Speaking of the devil, she called."

"What is she up to now?"

"She's met Mr. Dream Man. Roger."

"Again? Lord help him." They shared a laugh and toasted.

Owen slid a glance at Alicia. "Speaking of calls, someone left you a message on the answering machine, too."

"Oh, who is it?"

He cleared his throat and proceeded to say in a hoarser tone, "Alicia, it's Peter. I'd love to see you again soon. Give me a call."

Alicia smiled. They'd ended up talking for an hour or so in that alleyway outside the bar. She pulled out her day book, wherein she had placed the napkin with Peter's number. Owen made a silent "oh" as she picked up the phone and dialed. "Peter, hi. It's Alicia."

"Alicia." She could tell he was smiling. "I'm glad you called me back. Do you want to meet for a drink later?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. I have some work I need to get done." She looked up to see Owen flailing his arms at her. She put a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "What?", she whispered at her brother.

"Offer an alternative!", he whispered back.

Her mind sped and then she said into the phone, "Can you meet me at the Georgetown library for a quick coffee?"

Peter laughed, a sexy and deep sound. "What an interesting place for a first date. Ok, Alicia, I'm intrigued. I'll see you in a few hours."

When she hung up, Owen pounced. "Who's got my sister smiling like the Mona Lisa?"

She fought for a serious expression on her face. She failed and her smile was probably even goofier than before. "Just a man I met the other night", she said.

"Oh, just some man? Ms. Picky has suddenly relaxed her high standards or does Mr. Perfect actually exist?"

She batted her hands in the air. "I don't know. Maybe. It's too early to tell and I don't want to jinx it. Let's talk about what's going on in your life."

He sighed and downed the remaining wine in his glass. "I've realized, Sis, that math is hard."

"Finally, huh? And all it took was a doctoral degree program."

"I just spent 90 minutes listening to my thesis advisor rip apart my research. He said my work lacked substance."

Alicia winced and put an arm around Owen. "Ouch. I'm sorry."

"I swear Wilson's got it out for me." His expression went dark for a minute and then he visibly forced a smile. "Enough about that. I'm meeting Elaine later."

"Elaine? I thought you guys were done with each other."

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm conflicted."

She tsk'ed. "Well, don't jerk her around if you're not serious about her."

He gave her a wounded look. "What if she's jerking me around. Oh my God, I can't even say that with a straight face."

Alicia shook her head. "Oh, Owen. As much as I would love to spend more time pointing out the error of your ways, I have to go. The library calls."

Owen said, mischievously, "Peter calls, you mean." She only responded with a wave of her hand.

* * *

Two nights later, after a quick shower, Will found himself looking for Alicia. True to her word, she was in the library. "Corcoran v. Diamante", he said while pulling out the seat across from her at the table.

"Excuse me?"

"We can use the precedents from Corcoran v. Diamante to rule out the counter argument about the infringement issue." Will flipped open his messenger bag and dug out the reference book. He handed it to her.

"That might work." She flipped open to the page he had dog-eared and read the highlighted passages. "I mean, it's… impressive. How did you come up with this?"

He tapped his mind. "It came to me, when I was playing basketball. And thank you, by the way, for the condescension."

She coughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be." She pulled out her notes. "Here's my outline on the issues we need to tackle and possible solutions. Why don't you take a look and let me know what you think?"

They worked well past midnight together in the library, most of it in silence. They'd decided to divvy up the issues and research them separately first before bringing it all together. At that suggestion, Will had toyed with the idea of leaving it for another day but decided against it. He didn't want to give Alicia ammunition about being a procrastinator. He even showed up the next night to work on it some more with her. She was thorough - and apparently, didn't need sleep. He kept his mouth shut about leaving until she began to pack up her things - the earliest had been 2 o'clock in the morning. By the third night, Will decided enough was enough. "I'm heading home", he announced at 11:30 PM.

Alicia didn't look up from her book. "Ok. Good night, Will."

His eyes were burning and he could barely think. "I've been a zombie the last few days. I need sleep. Like, more than 2 hours of it."

"I hear you. Can you bring the paper you mentioned? I want to cross-reference it as soon as possible."

"Yeah, sure." Will took his time packing up. She didn't look like she was judging him - so why did he feel like he was? "Alicia."

She finally looked up. "Yes, Will?"

"Uh - how about we reconvene at the diner tomorrow night? I think unlimited cups of coffee will do us both some good."

Her brow wrinkled. She put her pen down. "Will, just so you know, I'm seeing someone."

"Ok…"

They stared at each other for a second. When it was clear that Will wasn't adding anything further, she elaborated. "So it's fine to meet at the diner but I think you should know that it will be strictly platonic."

He must really be tired - part of him didn't even want to refute her statement. He did anyway. "Alicia, it's a cup of coffee, not an engagement ring. I'll even insist on going Dutch."

Her cheeks colored. At some point, she had undone her ponytail so her hair fell in soft waves around her face. She was - pretty. Will ruthlessly quashed the thought in his head. She was not going to put ideas in his head. "I just don't want to give you the wrong idea. I know how you are."

"How I am…?" Despite the heat in his stomach, he waved his hands in surrender. "It's too late for this. Ok, it's going to be tough but I will somehow keep my insatiable sex drive in check. Good night, Alicia, I'll see you at the diner tomorrow. Platonically." He couldn't help tossing in the last word. He shook his head as he stepped out of the building. The night air felt more refreshing than usual. Just when he thought there might be some hope for Alicia Cavanaugh. He'd do well to remember that they had nothing in common. As soon as law school was over, he'd probably never see or hear from her again.


	3. Chapter 3

-3-

Six weeks after she started seeing Peter, he popped the question. She swallowed hard. "You want me to meet your mother?"

He was tying his tie in front of the bathroom mirror. "She almost never leaves Chicago and I wanted to seize the opportunity to have you meet each other."

Alicia's heart pounded fiercely. Was it too soon? "Um, ok. Sure."

"Hey." Peter came out and wrapped an arm around her waist. He kissed her forehead. "It just feels right. And you'll adore her."

She nodded and smiled slowly. "Ok. Then I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"Great. I'll make dinner reservations for Friday night. Look at the time. I better get going or I'll be late. I'll see you tonight, babe."

Owen was in the kitchen brewing coffee. They exchanged polite greetings as Peter headed for the door. "Third night this week, Sis."

"He wants me to meet his mother."

Owen frowned. "And you think it's too soon?"

She planted herself on a seat by the kitchen table. "Yes. No." She opened her mouth and shut it. "I really like him."

"Hmmm."

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't be paranoid. I'm just making a sound."

"You don't just 'make' sounds. You're thinking something."

Owen shrugged with feigned nonchalance. "I think a lot of things." He ducked as Alicia half-heartedly swatted at him. "Anyway, I don't have to tell you that you should do what you feel is right. You were born with an internal moral compass."

That was the problem. In this instance, her sense of right and wrong seemed to have deserted her entirely. She enjoyed every minute she spent with Peter. He was exactly what she always wanted - mature, responsible and ambitious. But at the same time, she was young. Wasn't she supposed to spend her early 20s making bad decisions? Would she look back and wonder why she never tried being more impetuous? Dare she say a lot more interesting?

* * *

Will was already there when she arrived at the library. After she had laid out the terms of their relationship, he had been all business with her. He hadn't even cracked a joke like he was prone to during class. She had been glad, in an embarrassed way - after the look of incredulity he had given her, Alicia wondered belatedly if perhaps she should have said those words aloud. Had it been too presumptuous?

He noticed her and leaned over to murmur in the ear of the woman sitting beside him. She giggled and then turned her face into his for a kiss that would have been more appropriate in the bedroom. Alicia's eyes slid away from their private moment. She gave them a second before walking over.

The woman broke away, smiling and wiping lip stick from Will's face. "I'm leaving."

"No, take your time. Please", Alicia said politely.

"Can't. I have practice." She pointed at her gym bag where Alicia spotted a ridiculously small and tight pair of shorts. "I'm Kimmy, by the way. Kimmy Linnatta."

Alicia introduced herself and Kimmy left, but not before she engaged in an additional lingering kiss with Will. While she settled into her seat, he watched Kimmy walk away. "Practice?"

Without breaking away from his line of vision, he said, "I met her at a Senators' game. Professional cheerleader."

"Hmmmm."

He looked at her, then. There was no expression on her face and she was already nose deep into a textbook. Something inside of him gave off a warning bell. He recklessly ignored it. "Your boyfriend likes the way you wear your hair?"

The skin right between her eyes creased. "What? No." Her hand involuntarily flew halfway up to self-consciously touch her hair, once again severely pulled back.

"Ah." He pulled out his notebook and began writing. He could feel the curiosity steaming out of her pores.

"Wait. Why would you-" She reigned in her temper. "First of all, that's none of your business. Second of all, it's my body and I'll wear my hair any way that I want."

He smiled at her benignly. "You're right. It was just a platonic question. Forget I said anything." He could tell her she was ramping up for a fight.

"Alicia, Will, I see the two of you are at each other again." Liz Lawrence, looking like she had stepped off a page in a magazine, approached their table. She flipped her shiny dark hair off of one shoulder. It rippled like a wave. She gave them a smile. "You do know you're supposed to be working as a team right?"

"Liz." It was all Alicia could do to keep her composure civil. "How nice of you to remind us. We hadn't realized."

Will sat back in his chair and topped the table with his feet. "We're playing devil's advocate." Alicia gave him a look of appreciation. He winked at her. Liz Lawrence was at the top of the class - he wanted to knock her off her pedestal just as much as Alicia.

Liz gave a low, throaty laugh. "Oh, Will. You always have a joke in your back pocket, don't you? It's cute." She shifted her books from one arm to another. "Well, I hope so. Jared and I were just wondering if there was going to be any challenge in our face off tomorrow."

Will sat up and reached out to place his hand on Alicia's arm. His thumb stroked her skin slowly while he gave Liz a faint smile. "Your concerns are noted, Liz. We'll see you tomorrow."

As soon as she left the floor, Alicia let out a hiss. "Let's decimate her argument."

He grinned wickedly at her. "Now you're talking."

* * *

Alicia was giving him a funny look when he walked into their classroom the following day. They had been up until dawn; he had probably slept no more than a few hours before he was up again to get ready. "What?"

She shook her head. "No-nothing. You look nice." She'd never seen him wearing a suit before.

She looked nice too - she was wearing all red and pumps. Will's eyes traveled appreciatively over her curves. Alicia Cavanaugh cleaned up very nicely. He gave her a cocky grin. "Thanks. Now let's kick some ass."

As soon as their classmates settled into their seats, Professor Radha said, "Mr. Gardner, please start your opening argument."

He nodded, feeling an unfamiliar wave of nervousness spread from his knees. He reached for his notes but couldn't make any sense of what he had written only the night before. The type seemed way too small. "Uh... One second, Prof- I mean, Your Honor." He sat down and reached for a folder in his messenger bag.

Alicia touched his hand beneath the table. He stopped to look at her. She nodded encouragingly at him. "Mesmer v. Donnelly", she said in a low volume. "You're going to be great."

All at once, his fears vanished. He squeezed her hand back and winked. "Watch this", he whispered. "Your Honor, the defense is going to try to build a case on pure malarkey..." On the whole, they were well prepared. But so were Liz and Jared. Professor Radha was right to have paired them together, Will realized. They made a formidable team. Alicia knew the letter of the law like the back of her hands but Will was adept at spotting the loopholes. He could tell that Alicia took savage delight in stumping Liz the several times they managed to do so.

The professor and the class applauded both teams at the end. "Well, that was quite a spirited debate", Radha said. "I only hope the rest of the final projects are as high caliber."

"And what is the final ruling?", said Liz.

The professor smiled. "It was a close call but I rule in favor of Ms. Cavanaugh and Mr. Gardner. Class dismissed."

He and Alicia leapt up from their seats and hugged each other. Her perfume - jasmine - exploded in his nose. "Great job!", she said, abruptly pulling away.

"Yeah, no joke about it. We were great." They walked out together. He hesitated. "How about a celebratory drink tonight?" When she hesitated, he added, "Platonically, of course."

"I can't. I'm really sorry." She seemed genuine about it too. "I'm having dinner with Peter and his mother."

Will's eyebrows rose. "Sounds serious." So his name was Peter.

It was the first time Alicia's bright expression dimmed. She shifted her purse uncomfortably from one shoulder to the other. "I guess."

He wasn't sure how to respond. Will cleared his throat. "Well, another night then. Good job, partner." He turned to go.

"Will."

"Yes, Alicia?"

She gave him another smile. "I really wish I could go celebrate with you tonight."

It was the way she looked and how she said the words. Like he might not have been just the scholarship kid from Rogers Park after all. Like he might be something more. He dropped his messenger bag and walked the remaining few steps up to her. Alicia's lips had parted slightly, but she didn't back away. Will cupped his hand on the back of her neck and pushed her until their lips met. He opened his mouth.

"Will?"

He blinked. Alicia stood a foot away. "Uh, yeah. Sorry. Sleep deprivation's getting to me. Listen, I'll probably be at Whistling Pig for awhile tonight. Come find me if you finish up early."

He didn't know why he offered that.

She nodded. "Ok, then. Bye, Will."


End file.
